1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an image printer for exposing a photosensitive material with an image recorded on a film, there is generally used an image printer for projecting and exposing the film image on to the photosensitive material.
With such image printer, if the image quality of the image recorded on the film is not favorable, correction for improving the image quality is possible in the projection-exposure of the photosensitive material.
This correction for image quality improvement includes correction of contrast and correction of color tone. As specific methods of such correction, in the case of correction of contrast, the correction has been effected by inserting, into an optical path extending from the film to the photosensitive material, a mask having a shape corresponding to a portion of the film image to be corrected, thereby to adjust the amount of light passage.
For the correction of color tone, there has been used, as the mask, a filter capable of inhibiting a light component of a particular color.
According to the conventional image printer, a film image is projected and exposed on to the photosensitive material, with effecting the above-described correction when necessary. On the other hand, in the case of a film image not requiring such correction, this film image is projected and exposed as it is.
Therefore, according to the conventional art, in the case of the film image which does not require any correction, the film image as it is may be projected and exposed on to the photosensitive material, such that a high-speed exposure operation is possible. However, in case a correction of the film image is needed, it is necessary to prepare a mask for each film image which requires a correction. As a result, the exposure operation requires a significant amount of time and labor, thereby to considerably reduce the exposure operation efficiency.
The present invention attends to the above-described state of the art. A primary object of the present invention is to provide an image printer with improved exposure operation efficiency by facilitating the correction of the film image when needed while retaining the advantage of the possibility of a high-speed exposure operation by projection and exposure of a film image which does not require any correction.